The secrets hidden in London’s past are astonishing. Underneath the glamorous facade the twisted roots of this seedy city have blossomed into the most powerful branches. On the surface flowers blossom in the form of bright neon lights that illuminate world famous landmarks and flash in the windows of bars and restaurants waiting to pick your pockets like a Dickensian Fagan. Yet dig deep into the cracks in the pavement and you are left with a mound of dirt.

Walk along Clerkenwell Road and you come to St. John’s Gate, a 16th century Gate House built with heavy Tudor bricks and Kentish flagstone. At first glance the jagged prongs of its former fortress walls resemble a castle. Don’t be surprised when you are drawn towards its gaping archway compelled to investigate. You might even be tempted by the offer of a free entry. Go in and take a look around; though your interest may wane when you learn The Museum of the Order of St. John celebrates warrior monks who provided medical assistance to the Knights Templar during the crusades. That the Order lends its name to the modern day St. John’s Ambulance Brigade may interest you even less. But don’t walk away just yet.

The building and the Order has a complicated history. St. John’s Gate was the entrance to the fortified grounds of a Priory built in the 12th century for the influential Knights of the Order of St. John. A circle on the opposite side of the road marks the site of the former Temple. Under the new church, the 12th century crypt is still intact and open to visitors. Since the order was dissolved by Henry VIII the building has been used as a tavern, a storage room for Henry’s hunting tackle, a magazine publishers and an all-latin speaking coffee house run by the father of artist, William Hogarth. Take the one and half hour free tour (though donations are welcomed) and you will climb the spiral staircase used by William Shakespeare and Elizabeth I. Today St. John’s Gate houses the Museum of the Order of St. John which was re-opened in November 2010 by His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Order.

Explore the freshly hallowed halls of the museum and use the touch-screen buttons to learn a fascinating story of the Orders origins. During the crusades they fought alongside celebrated warriors, the Knights Templar and provided medical assistance to the wounded, sick and dying. For this reason they were called the Hospitallers - and why hospitals are so called today. The Knights also provided food and shelter for anyone that asked for help. Guests were allowed to stay in the Priory for three days and nights free of charge after which they were made to pay or sent on their way. Given the pronunciation of the word Hospitallers, it is in all likelihood the word, ‘hospitable,’ derived from the Order as well.

From St. John’s Square you enter the ancient crypt and sink into the street. The Roman archway at the entrance is superseded by the stunning curvature of gothic arcs that fill out the bunker and you are submerged with the solemnity of a medieval past. A stain glass display at the head of the church illuminates the far wall printed with the philosophy, “Blessed be the meek for they will inherit the Earth.” Beyond low-lying pews a cold stone effigy of a Knight is laid out with legs crossed, his feet resting on the back of a dog lying obediently at his feet. Your guide will tell you the dog is a symbol of nobility.

In fact, the Order belongs to the British Crown and in the Chapter Room of St. John’s Gate, a collection of lavish oil paintings featuring a long line of royals and other members of the aristocracy hangs proudly; Britain’s elite draped in black cloaks with the Orders motif stitched into them. From the very beginnings The Knights Hospitallers were made up of noblemen from across Europe and the Order quickly acquired wealth and land. Over the centuries the Order stayed faithful to its tradition of only honouring Europe’s elite landowners, the only exception being Florence Nightingale who was given the title Lady of Grace.

The Orders association with the medical profession not only lent its name to the St. John’s Ambulance, but in 1863 also played a major role in establishing the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. But the knights were not just skilled surgeons, they were hardened warriors and humble monks deeply integrated in spiritual practices. Like the Templar they were answerable to the Pope, thus it is believed the monks were Christians. It is said however, the Templar had a duty to understand the truth of inner spiritual meaning, a practice which falls into esoteric wisdom and not Christianity which is designed to confuse the understanding of the self.

Despite the Hospitallers bond with the Knights Templar, St. John’s museum has little to say about their brothers-in-arms. Watch the short documentary footage and listen to the extraordinary story of how two courageous brotherhoods won and lost savage battles. Read the plaques provided by the museum and you are told the Knight’s Templar were a “purely military order” and “dissolved by the Pope in 1312.” This blotted history jars like a broken zip.

The Knight’s Templar were in fact the first lawyers and bankers and on Friday 13th October 1307, were hunted down and tortured by the Inquisition on the orders of King Philip IV of France. Ever since people swear against Friday 13th bringing them ill fortune. Charged with heresy, blasphemy and obscenities of homosexual practice, many of the Templar Knights were killed. In 1308, Pope Clement ruled the Templar were not heretics, but the document were lost and only discovered in the Vatican archives in 2001.

The lack of source information about the Knights Templar in conventional history books only serves to fuel the imagination. Their romantic existence and sudden fall from grace has been the inspiration for numerous film makers, artists and writers. Yet without Dan Brown’s popular novel, ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ most of us would not know they ever existed. Yet there existence is evident in Britain and all across Europe. Not least, in London.

To learn how the Knights Templar evolved into the corrupt elite that rule the world today, join us tomorrow where it will be revealed how the secret knowledge of spiritual meaning is been deliberately kept from us so that we never learn of our true origins.

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